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Investigations

On February 17, 2017, Lewis Scott Niles was arrested in Whitefield, New Hampshire, for failure to appear at his previous sentencing hearings. He was immediately sentenced in U.S. District Court, Concord, New Hampshire, and ordered to pay $2,540 in fines. In June 2016, Niles had been charged and pleaded guilty to operating a commercial vehicle to transport hazardous materials without a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL).

Congress enacted motor carrier safety laws to protect people and property from the dangers inherent in transporting hazardous materials. When hazardous materials are transported in a container with a capacity of greater than 119 gallons, safety placards are required to be visibly mounted on the outside of a commercial vehicle. These laws also require commercial vehicle operators to possess a valid CDL.

Niles admitted that from approximately September 2013 through April 2014, he sold and transported hazardous materials to be used as fuel for heating furnaces to individuals and businesses in New Hampshire and Maine. Without a valid CDL, Niles used a motor vehicle to transport approximately 925 gallons of fuel oil and diesel fuel and approximately 1,500 gallons of a flammable liquid in containers with capacities greater than 119 gallons.